STRAWBERRY WINE 2024 • rare profile 100% wild Oud • Pursat, Cambodia

from $79.00

STRAWBERRY WINE 2024 • rare profile 100% wild Oud • Pursat, Cambodia

(100% wild artisanal Oud oil, authentic wild-harvested natural agarwood essential oil)

• production : June 2024. Selected agarwood from a group of 3 mature wild Aquilaria crassna trees found in a high mountainous area of Pursat province, Cambodia.

• distillation notes: carefully low-temperature distilled in copper and glass. Sourced from a trusted artisanal distiller. Process verified. Lab-tested for purity and authenticity.

• scent highlights: striking, intense wild strawberry and strawberry wine notes on a classic sweet, clean, and full Cambodian A. crassna profile featuring light natural leather, fresh blonde tobacco, apple, peach, and citrus.

• full scent description: opens with intense wild strawberry and strawberry wine notes on a background of new wood and a carpenter's shop. As this gorgeous Oud opens and transforms on your skin, you’ll soon notice the emergence of more classic soft, clean notes typical of this terroir and species; light, sweet, fresh tobacco (not smoke), bruised apple, peach, nectarine, apricot, orange, tangerine, and soft natural leather. Transitions between myriad scent notes are silky smooth, but this Oud is still quite dynamic, especially for the first few hours, offering a perfectly paced, sensual dance as the various notes ebb and flow. All of the fruit notes alternate between surprising fresh fruit expressions, and a slightly more jammy or cooked fruit offering. (Fresh fruit aromatic notes in Oud are much less common than their cooked fruit (jam, baked goods, etc) or dried fruit counterparts.) Deeper into the journey you might notice some candied pineapple, Demerara sugar, candied citrus peel, and some sunny wildflower notes reminiscent of chamomile, wild daisy, or clover flower. The signature strawberry note weaves in and out through most of the dry-down, while the other defining early note of new wood & carpenter’s shop remains a solid and consistent anchor note in the background through the whole beautiful unfolding of this spectacular Oud. Many hours into the dry-down this Oud relaxes into a cozy cruise of strawberry jam, orange marmalade, brown sugar, and top-shelf cigar humidor (where the finest fresh tobacco meets refined, clean, woody notes.) This Oud has excellent tenacity and remains interesting and dynamic for many hours.

• notes of controversy: none

• species: Aquilaria crassna


The strawberry note and Oud:
Although the presence of a wild strawberry note is a somewhat common in Oud oils from higher altitude areas of the Pursat and Pailin provinces of Cambodia (along with the even more common apple notes that more clearly define this terroir), in the case of this particular Oud oil, the wild strawberry and strawberry wine notes are particularly intense, clear, and tenacious. We’ve never seen one quite like this before.

For those who have never experienced the North American wild strawberry, it smells and tastes like the pure, unadulterated essence of strawberry. (The European wild strawberry is reportedly quite similar, although I have never had the opportunity to taste it myself.) Unlike their cultivated counterparts, which have been selectively bred for size, appearance, and shelf life at the expense of flavor, the tiny North American Wild strawberry offers a concentrated and complex experience. Its aroma is an intoxicating bouquet of floral, sweet, and even slightly spicy notes—often described as having hints of pineapple, wine, or musk. On the palate, this diminutive pea-sized fruit explodes with a vibrant sweetness balanced by a delicate tartness; lacking the comparatively watery, bland interior that can typify some commercially grown varieties. The flavor of a wild strawberry is so intense and pure that it might be compared to a potent strawberry candy, leaving a memorable, lingering taste that makes it well worth the effort of foraging for these tiny, rare gems of the forest floor.

For those who have never experienced wine made from strawberries, it is indeed a real thing, and is typically found as a small scale craft production in regions where they produce a lot of strawberries. While strawberry wine is typically made with commercially cultivated strawberries, the result is a more concentrated and intense strawberry experience, although with a slightly more cooked (jammy) aspect that is a result of the wine making process. (I've had the opportunity to taste strawberry wine at various times in Canada, the United States, Japan, and even Thailand, somewhat to my surprise.)

More Strawberry Trivia:
The North American Wild strawberry, Fragaria virginiana, is a highly adaptable plant found across a vast range of North America. It grows in almost all of the United States (excluding Hawaii) and throughout the southern provinces of Canada. Alternatively, the European Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is arguably the most famous wild strawberry species and is also known as the woodland, alpine, or European strawberry. It's native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Like the North American wild strawberry, it is much smaller than its cultivated modern counterpart. The flavor of Fragaria vesca is often described as intensely aromatic, sweet, and complex, with a distinct floral or perfume-like quality. Both species are known for their highly concentrated, sheer strawberry-ness, but their profiles can differ slightly. The European Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is noted for its more prominent “perfume” aspect, both on the nose and the palate; a concentrated sweet aroma laced with floral notes reminiscent of rose and violet, underpinned by a candy-bright fruitiness. In contrast, the North American Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) is more about the classic strawberry character itself: a vivid berry richness accented by fresh green undertones, a touch of honeyed sweetness, and a clean tart edge. While the European strawberry might sound more interesting to some, based on this description, we must not forget that the North American strawberry likely offers a more quintessential strawberry-ness that cannot be described in any other way. (I have to again state here that I have never personally experienced the European wild strawberry, although researching it today has made me very interested in experiencing it! - Pierre)

The modern cultivated strawberry we know today (Fragaria × ananassa) is actually a hybrid of two different wild species, the one from North America and another from South America (Fragaria chiloensis, a much larger strawberry with a lighter colour and flavour, much more reminiscent of the modern cultivated strawberry.). The story goes that a French spy named Antoine Nicolas Duchesne transported a specimen from Chile to France in the 18th century, where it was accidentally cross-bred with the North American Fragaria virginiana. The resulting hybrid produced a large, flavourful, berry and an incredibly productive plant that is the ancestor of almost every cultivated strawberry grown today.

Volume:

STRAWBERRY WINE 2024 • rare profile 100% wild Oud • Pursat, Cambodia

(100% wild artisanal Oud oil, authentic wild-harvested natural agarwood essential oil)

• production : June 2024. Selected agarwood from a group of 3 mature wild Aquilaria crassna trees found in a high mountainous area of Pursat province, Cambodia.

• distillation notes: carefully low-temperature distilled in copper and glass. Sourced from a trusted artisanal distiller. Process verified. Lab-tested for purity and authenticity.

• scent highlights: striking, intense wild strawberry and strawberry wine notes on a classic sweet, clean, and full Cambodian A. crassna profile featuring light natural leather, fresh blonde tobacco, apple, peach, and citrus.

• full scent description: opens with intense wild strawberry and strawberry wine notes on a background of new wood and a carpenter's shop. As this gorgeous Oud opens and transforms on your skin, you’ll soon notice the emergence of more classic soft, clean notes typical of this terroir and species; light, sweet, fresh tobacco (not smoke), bruised apple, peach, nectarine, apricot, orange, tangerine, and soft natural leather. Transitions between myriad scent notes are silky smooth, but this Oud is still quite dynamic, especially for the first few hours, offering a perfectly paced, sensual dance as the various notes ebb and flow. All of the fruit notes alternate between surprising fresh fruit expressions, and a slightly more jammy or cooked fruit offering. (Fresh fruit aromatic notes in Oud are much less common than their cooked fruit (jam, baked goods, etc) or dried fruit counterparts.) Deeper into the journey you might notice some candied pineapple, Demerara sugar, candied citrus peel, and some sunny wildflower notes reminiscent of chamomile, wild daisy, or clover flower. The signature strawberry note weaves in and out through most of the dry-down, while the other defining early note of new wood & carpenter’s shop remains a solid and consistent anchor note in the background through the whole beautiful unfolding of this spectacular Oud. Many hours into the dry-down this Oud relaxes into a cozy cruise of strawberry jam, orange marmalade, brown sugar, and top-shelf cigar humidor (where the finest fresh tobacco meets refined, clean, woody notes.) This Oud has excellent tenacity and remains interesting and dynamic for many hours.

• notes of controversy: none

• species: Aquilaria crassna


The strawberry note and Oud:
Although the presence of a wild strawberry note is a somewhat common in Oud oils from higher altitude areas of the Pursat and Pailin provinces of Cambodia (along with the even more common apple notes that more clearly define this terroir), in the case of this particular Oud oil, the wild strawberry and strawberry wine notes are particularly intense, clear, and tenacious. We’ve never seen one quite like this before.

For those who have never experienced the North American wild strawberry, it smells and tastes like the pure, unadulterated essence of strawberry. (The European wild strawberry is reportedly quite similar, although I have never had the opportunity to taste it myself.) Unlike their cultivated counterparts, which have been selectively bred for size, appearance, and shelf life at the expense of flavor, the tiny North American Wild strawberry offers a concentrated and complex experience. Its aroma is an intoxicating bouquet of floral, sweet, and even slightly spicy notes—often described as having hints of pineapple, wine, or musk. On the palate, this diminutive pea-sized fruit explodes with a vibrant sweetness balanced by a delicate tartness; lacking the comparatively watery, bland interior that can typify some commercially grown varieties. The flavor of a wild strawberry is so intense and pure that it might be compared to a potent strawberry candy, leaving a memorable, lingering taste that makes it well worth the effort of foraging for these tiny, rare gems of the forest floor.

For those who have never experienced wine made from strawberries, it is indeed a real thing, and is typically found as a small scale craft production in regions where they produce a lot of strawberries. While strawberry wine is typically made with commercially cultivated strawberries, the result is a more concentrated and intense strawberry experience, although with a slightly more cooked (jammy) aspect that is a result of the wine making process. (I've had the opportunity to taste strawberry wine at various times in Canada, the United States, Japan, and even Thailand, somewhat to my surprise.)

More Strawberry Trivia:
The North American Wild strawberry, Fragaria virginiana, is a highly adaptable plant found across a vast range of North America. It grows in almost all of the United States (excluding Hawaii) and throughout the southern provinces of Canada. Alternatively, the European Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is arguably the most famous wild strawberry species and is also known as the woodland, alpine, or European strawberry. It's native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Like the North American wild strawberry, it is much smaller than its cultivated modern counterpart. The flavor of Fragaria vesca is often described as intensely aromatic, sweet, and complex, with a distinct floral or perfume-like quality. Both species are known for their highly concentrated, sheer strawberry-ness, but their profiles can differ slightly. The European Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is noted for its more prominent “perfume” aspect, both on the nose and the palate; a concentrated sweet aroma laced with floral notes reminiscent of rose and violet, underpinned by a candy-bright fruitiness. In contrast, the North American Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) is more about the classic strawberry character itself: a vivid berry richness accented by fresh green undertones, a touch of honeyed sweetness, and a clean tart edge. While the European strawberry might sound more interesting to some, based on this description, we must not forget that the North American strawberry likely offers a more quintessential strawberry-ness that cannot be described in any other way. (I have to again state here that I have never personally experienced the European wild strawberry, although researching it today has made me very interested in experiencing it! - Pierre)

The modern cultivated strawberry we know today (Fragaria × ananassa) is actually a hybrid of two different wild species, the one from North America and another from South America (Fragaria chiloensis, a much larger strawberry with a lighter colour and flavour, much more reminiscent of the modern cultivated strawberry.). The story goes that a French spy named Antoine Nicolas Duchesne transported a specimen from Chile to France in the 18th century, where it was accidentally cross-bred with the North American Fragaria virginiana. The resulting hybrid produced a large, flavourful, berry and an incredibly productive plant that is the ancestor of almost every cultivated strawberry grown today.

Additional notes on Oud from Aroma Sublime:

• Absolutely wild. When we say wild, we mean wild! All our “wild” designated agarwood and oil is from genuine 100% naturally occurring wild forest agarwood trees with no human interventions prior to harvest. Occasionally we might offer other options, but they will be clearly indicated as either “cultivated” (farmed) or “semi-wild” (agarwood growth influenced by human intervention in a natural setting). When we say wild, we mean wild!

• One-tree wonders. We strongly prefer single-tree agarwood harvests and single-tree Oud oil distillations. This has both environmental and aesthetic benefits, capturing the unique essence of a single, fully mature, agarwood tree. When this single-tree preference is not possible we strongly favor combining wood from only a few fully mature trees​ from the same geography, of known provenance, ​supplied by trusted and experienced harvesters. ​(the only exception would be in the case of carefully planned blends or co-distillations which we always describe with precision.) More and more you will see us moving toward single-tree productions. It’s part of our commitment to sustainability and our joy in honoring the individual aromatic “soul” of each tree we harvest.

•​ Beyond Words. We try to describe our Oud oils as accurately as possible using common vocabulary from a Western cultural perspective. There might also be some specialized technical or aromatic nomenclature as we seek also to educate and inform our customers. We hope to strike a balance; offering accessibility and straightforwardness while also providing some technical and specialized vocabulary when we think it is informative or necessary.  Our Oud descriptions are subjective and may vary slightly over time due to the effects of aging on Oud's aromatic profile, however, Oud oils will generally only improve with age, and the key features of a particular oil will generally be quite stable over time. We try to repeat the assessment process and update the detailed aromatic description for every Oud oil in our catalog at least once every 12 months. We pride ourselves on detailed accurate descriptions of our Oud oils, and we are happy to receive your constructive feedback on this topic.